Earlier this week, a prominent Cameroon LGBT rights activist was found tortured to death in his home in Yaoundé.

The U.S. State Department has since then denounced the brutal murder of Eric Ohena Lembembe, who issued a public warning two weeks ago about the threat posed by “anti-gay thugs” in Cameroon.

“We condemn this terrible act in the strongest terms and urge the Cameroonian authorities to thoroughly and promptly investigate and prosecute those responsible for his death,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf in a statement.

Lembembe served as a journalist and later the executive director of the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS), an organization dedicated to the fight against AIDS and for the human rights of LGBT people in Cameroon.

"The United States actively promotes respect for the human rights of all people, including LGBT individuals, in Cameroon and around the world," said Harf. "We will continue to support activists, like Mr. Lembembe, who stand up for the human rights of all people, regardless of who they are or who they love."